On our allotment most of our plants begin their lives in the greenhouse because we've found this the best way to have any chance of winning the battle against slugs. As with any plants that have been started off inside there needs to be some degree of consideration to how their transfer is made into the big, wide world outside.
Surprisingly when plants first go outside it can be wind that poses the greatest threat to them rather than cold. So protecting them from wind in the first couple of days is one of the best things you can do to ensure they continue to grow on as strong and sturdy as they can. We're lucky enough to have a cold frame alongside our greenhouse which is the perfect holding area for plants before they are finally planted in their final home in the beds on the allotment. The frame is suitably sheltered but also gets weathered enough to acclimatise the plants to the outside world.
The broad beans you can see in the picture will spend a couple of days like this in the cold frame with no extra protection from the elements. After this I will lift them onto the path in their pots for a couple of days to get them used to the wind, though still putting them back in the frame at night. It is only after this that they will finally be planted out onto the plot.This may all sound like a lot of effort for a crop of broad beans but it's really worth investing the time as you are much more likely to have a strong and healthy plant, which will crop better, if it is properly introduced to its new surroundings.
What if you haven't got a cold frame? Well, any sheltered corner will do as an alternative - though you may need to bring the plants back inside for the first couple of nights if you don't have the option to cover them up like you do with a coldframe.
And just in case this post has inspired you to make your own coldframe... here's a suggestion of how to do it courtesy of Permaculture Magazine.
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